OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Zack Gelof hit his first home run in nearly three weeks and the Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals 7-5 on Tuesday night to end a nine-game losing streak.
JJ Bleday had a career-high three doubles and drove in two runs, and Miguel Andujar added two hits to help Oakland to its first win since June 7.
“Getting a win in this league is tough, as we’ve seen the past few weeks,” Gelof said. “To get a win at home in front of the home crowd is awesome. I’ve been working with the coaches and teammates, and it looked like I was having quality at-bats today.”
The last-place A’s (27-48) have the fourth-worst record in the majors.
A moment of silence was held before the game to honor Willie Mays, the Hall of Fame center fielder who died earlier in the day. Mays got the final hit of his illustrious career at the Oakland Coliseum in the 1973 World Series.
“I just wish I was half the player that he was,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay, who played center field for much of his career. “The catches that he made and just the smile that he had, the impact he had on the game of baseball. His loss is felt today and will be felt for a long time.”
Nick Loftin hit his first career home run and had three RBIs for the Royals, who have lost three of four.
Gelof, who entered in a 5-for-30 funk, singled and scored in the first inning and then hit a three-run homer off starter Alec Marsh (5-4) in the fourth.
“I’ve been struggling a little bit but it makes it all worth it to come through when it matters,” Gelof said. “Felt great and hopefully some more to come.”
Hogan Harris (1-0) pitched five uneven innings to get the win, his first since the end of 2023 when he also beat the Royals. Harris, who left with the lead but got no decision in each of his three previous starts, allowed three runs (one earned) and four hits.
Kansas City, which left the bases loaded in the fourth, scored twice off Lucas Erceg in the eighth and got the potential tying run to the plate before Scott Alexander got Adam Frazier to fly out. Mason Miller retired three batters in the ninth for his 13th save, fourth-most by a rookie in franchise history.
Coming off an 0-7 road trip, the A’s got going early in their return home.
Leadoff hitter Max Schuemann walked in the first and scored on Bleday’s double off the wall. After Bleday advanced to third on a flyout, Brent Rooker hit a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
“We definitely were in need of a good baseball game and a win,” Kotsay said. “We swung the bats better on the road and continued to swing the bats good tonight. All in all, a good feeling to come from where we were and to bounce back tonight.”
Kansas City tied it with a pair of unearned runs in the second. Freddy Fermin reached on Schuemann’s fielding error at shortstop and came around when Loftin snapped an 0-for-14 slide with a homer on the next pitch.
